Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 148 - Amitabha Deez Nutz
Chapter 148 – Amitabha Deez Nutz
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Chapter 148 – Amitabha Deez Nutz
“Monk, are you walking or running? Pick one.”
Ju-seong hustled his feet to keep up with Won-gong.
“I’m walking quickly. It’s called speed walking.”
Won-gong was somehow rapidly outpacing Ju-seong with a bizarre waddling gait like a duck, yet moving as fast as a commoner running out of breath.
Thinking a Shaolin monk’s traveling method might have its uses, Ju-seong imitated the ridiculous gait while speaking.
“But why the formal speech?”
“I didn’t know you were older than me, benefactor. You looked about twenty, so I spoke casually.”
“…I also never imagined you had just turned twenty.”
Ju-seong had thought Won-gong was someone on the edge of the Ascending Dragon Assembly’s age limit, but that wasn’t the case.
He’d barely just turned twenty?
‘How much do they grind people at Shaolin Temple? Those crazy bastards.’
Indeed, behind the reputation of being the great elder of the martial world was such harsh training that their faces became haggard.
Won-gong nodded calmly and replied.
“My features are distinct and my bearing is dignified, so many people make that mistake.”
“Mm, right. A heroic air? Something like that.”
The smooth-headed one was making some assumptions, but it was worth humoring the Shaolin monk.
Ju-seong matched pace while thinking of those he’d left behind.
He’d tied up loose ends somewhat hastily before departing, truth be told.
Red Beggar seemed intent on using his fame from this Ascending Dragon Assembly to seriously develop the Beggars’ Sect.
Chun-mong apparently wanted to take the orthodox path of participating in this Orthodox-Evil War and racking up achievements.
Cho Yu-gyeong, peculiarly, had decided to join the Martial Alliance’s pursuit squad. Probably to catch that battle-crazed ghost who’d killed his sect’s friends.
Bai Li’s skill with Myriad-Year Cold Iron had earned her a supply contract with the Martial Alliance.
But claiming she needed good iron nearby, she seemed to want to settle in Sichuan Province with her tribespeople.
Ju-seong had asked in puzzlement.
[But there’s plenty of iron around here too… why specifically Sichuan?]
[…I find Sichuan iron easier to work with. A blacksmith’s preference.]
After that, Bai Li had been strangely cold. Ju-seong wondered if he’d said something tactless but couldn’t figure out what.
Fat Fist was reclaiming his tongue-twisting name Hwangbo Chi-seung and being adopted by a Hwangbo family elder.
In truth, Ju-seong just wondered if the kid was actually Hwangbo bloodline. But that wasn’t his immediate concern.
‘Anyway.’
Ju-seong narrowed his eyes and looked Won-gong up and down.
‘He really does look like a temple beggar.’
While Ju-seong had been absorbing the Flame Grass, consolidating insights, and settling affairs, Won-gong had grown out his hair. And he’d changed from Shaolin’s distinctive golden robes to plain gray ones.
He looked like someone who’d do sham sermons in the marketplace and half-force donations from kind-looking folks.
‘Wait, that’s actually a good idea.’
Where they were going was evil path territory. And they weren’t going straight to Guizhou.
Ju-seong had insisted somewhat on detouring through Guangxi Province before heading to Guizhou.
Now that the Martial Alliance had declared their position, the southern evil path sects would be on high alert.
Someone would definitely recognize Ju-seong’s face. His handsome mug and green silk changpo were already famous in jianghu. Meaning, whether Won-gong concealed his Shaolin identity or not was pointless.
But if two sham temple beggars walked around?
Ju-seong felt fond memories of rolling around on the streets well up as he spoke to Won-gong.
“Listen, Monk.”
“Yes?”
“Shave my head soon. I also need to buy robes like yours.”
“…What do you mean?”
Ju-seong smirked.
“When you think about it, I’m actually quite devout.”
After all, hadn’t he mastered three divine powers directly imported from Tianzhu by Master Xuanzang? When you thought about it, wasn’t he closer to the Buddha than most monks?
* * *
By the time they crossed the Yangtze River, Ju-seong had already become a scruffy-headed monk.
Won-gong had tried to shave him clean like a novice monk, but Ju-seong refused.
“I need to look like a scruffy beggar monk.”
That was his philosophy. That way, fewer people would recognize him.
After receiving travel expenses and supplies from the Zhuge family near Lake Dongting, the two quickly traversed the southern region of Huguang Province, that is, south of Jingzhou.
When the wide-open horizons began growing bumpy with rocky peaks rising here and there, it was that time.
“Benefactor, you know taking the detour through Guangxi to Guizhou is a longer route, right?”
It was Won-gong who brought this up just as they set foot in Guangxi Province.
Ju-seong nodded readily.
“I know.”
“I haven’t asked the reason until now, but I’ll ask now. Why are we detouring through Guangxi?”
“You probably hear things from within the Martial Alliance, so you know what Mount Hua’s Jang Hwa-rin did.”
Won-gong nodded.
“As a Buddhist, the phrase doesn’t quite fit, but it was literally an atrocity that enraged both heaven and man.”
Ju-seong nodded with satisfaction and continued.
“Here’s the thing… by some twist of fate, the poison he used was exactly what I’d been searching for.”
“…Ohh?”
“To put it simply, I need the poison reservoir of the person who possesses that poison.”
“Ah, that’s right, you’re someone who cultivates poison arts.”
Ju-seong nodded.
“The one who supplied Peng Hyeok said the poison is located in Guangxi Province. I was planning to find it as soon as the Ascending Dragon Assembly ended anyway, and since I was sent to Guizhou, I decided to stop by on the way.”
“Let’s agree on no more than one month’s stay.”
“That should be enough. I know the location fairly precisely.”
“Where is it?”
“The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”
“…Where in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?”
“I don’t know that.”
“…”
The rocky mountain-filled Guangxi Province had been famous since ancient times for its endless peaks.
The particularly mountain-dense region was called the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and this was none other than the Green Forest’s headquarters.
“You know we can’t just go poking around in Green Forest territory, right?”
At Won-gong’s words, Ju-seong answered solemnly.
“Do mountains have owners?”
Won-gong replied seriously.
“The mountains of Guangxi have owners, benefactor. Don’t underestimate them.”
Listening to Won-gong’s subsequent explanation, Ju-seong had to nod. Indeed, Guangxi’s mountains had owners.
First, Guangxi had been Zhuang tribe territory since ancient times.
They were born warriors with fierce, valiant temperaments… a headache for successive Han dynasties.
Even if beaten and subjugated, governing them was torture given Guangxi’s location at the southern edge of the Central Plains.
So the current imperial house had granted official positions to the Zhuang chieftains, letting them govern the vast and rugged Guangxi Province themselves.
But even these Zhuang chieftains bowed their heads to the leader of the Central Plains’ Green Forest, established deep in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains since ancient times.
The Zhuang chieftains managed and governed Guangxi, but the one who lorded over them was always the bearer of that arrogant alias: the King of Green Forest.
“Anyway, is Jiangnan really this much of a mess? A bandit chief playing king.”
“Their history alone spans centuries since the fall of Tang. Watch your words.”
The imperial court left them alone because those Green Forest Kings never crossed the line and never united the chieftains to plot anything.
Moreover, the various Green Forest mountain fortresses maintained a kind of order across the great mountains of the Central Plains.
The Green Forest was clearly evil path, but they’d formed no particular enmity with the orthodox path or the imperial court.
They must have really turned a blind eye if they even allowed the word ‘King’ unofficially in a title.
They passed through rice paddies laid out like carpets between the jagged rocky peaks.
It was early morning with thin mist settled, and the scattered silhouettes were Guangxi farmers who’d risen at dawn to work their fields.
“Anyway, despite being evil path territory, Guangxi’s public order isn’t that unstable, but…”
Won-gong stopped mid-sentence, looking somewhere.
“But as with all worldly things, there are exceptions.”
When Ju-seong followed Won-gong’s gaze, indeed, a very evil-path-like act was unfolding in the distance.
No, to be precise, it was something even the evil path normally wouldn’t do.
A gang who screamed “I’m a thug” with their faces were ruthlessly beating an old man.
The old man cried out pitifully, face bloodied.
“Honorable heroes! Why has the tribute increased by half compared to last month? After paying taxes to the local official, how are we supposed to survive?”
‘Local official’ referred to the native power-holders who governed the region under imperial appointment.
The man beating the old man growled.
“When all the chieftains of Guangxi are beneath the Green Forest King, you dare speak of local officials to dodge Green Forest tribute?”
“I’m not trying to dodge it…”
“Truly an ungrateful wretch. Who do you think keeps those chieftains from fighting each other and brings peace to Guangxi!”
Another man rolled his eyes while slapping the old man with a pot-lid-sized hand.
“If you can’t pay tribute, hand over your children! We’ll raise them into fine Green Forest bandits!”
Obviously that was nonsense. Being a Green Forest bandit wasn’t for just anyone. They’d clearly be used as expendables or slaves before being discarded.
Ju-seong asked Won-gong.
“Didn’t you say the Green Forest weren’t this bad?”
Won-gong answered in a difficult tone.
“Well, mm… We don’t know if they’re real Green Forest, do we? Of course, if they falsely claimed to be, their necks would fly, so unless they truly have nothing to lose, they wouldn’t dare…”
While they conversed, the oppression continued.
Even half-conscious, the old man shook his head desperately, refusing what the men demanded.
“Oh, oh, please, honorable heroes…”
“This bastard!”
Just as the martial artist was about to slam the old man to the ground…
Ju-seong leaped with lightfoot technique, covering thirty zhang in one bound to stand before them.
The martial artists flinched and turned to look at Ju-seong.
“What’s this monk doing…?”
A scruffy beggar monk stood before them… one who’d have been handsome if not for the flowing grime and the roughly-chopped hair.
Ju-seong bowed his head with a courteous clasped palm and spoke softly.
“Namo Amitabha, gentlemen… How can you beat such a pitiful sentient being like that? He might have been your father in a past life.”
“…Pardon, what did you say, Master? Think being a Buddhist means you’ve got iron around your neck?”
The one who appeared to be their leader rested his large curved saber on Ju-seong’s neck with a thwack.
“If you don’t want just your head reaching nirvana, get lost. Hm? This is Guangxi. We’re Green Forest.”
Ju-seong gazed calmly down at the saber without releasing his clasped palm, then raised his gaze to meet the man’s eyes.
The instant their eyes met, the martial artist’s pupils constricted sharply. His joints seized as if facing a hungry beast, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
Despite his worthless martial realm, he’d lived a life close to violence.
‘This beggar monk bastard… Is he really a monk?’
There was no way a Buddhist who practiced mercy through non-killing had eyes like that.
Sure enough, the beggar monk’s expression turned several degrees colder as he spoke.
“…Not moving the blade? Amitabha, deez nutz.” He mangled the Buddhist name to use as a swear word… where in the world was there such a beggar monk?
‘Did I hear that wrong?’
The self-proclaimed Green Forest bandit momentarily doubted his own ears.